Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB

Player Lowdown

Combine Results

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225 Bench

Vertical jump

Broad

Shuttle

3-Cone Drill

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Workout Results

40 Yd

20 Yd

10 Yd

225 Bench

Vertical jump

Broad

Shuttle

3-Cone Drill

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Strengths Weaknesses

STRENGTHS: Competitive and alert. Possesses broad shoulders and a well-built frame, overall and is sound in run-support, traits that could make him one of the country's best all-around cornerbacks. While undersized, does not shy away from throwing his body around in run defense.

He has many of the requisite skills to survive in both press and off-man, displaying quick diagnose skills, twitchy reaction time and the athleticism to break on the ball. Ekpre-Olomu shows swivel hips, smooth footwork and explosive lower body skills to close in a hurry on the ball.

WEAKNESSES: He lacks prototype size and relies on vision, timing and hand-eye coordination rather than extraordinary speed or fluidity to shut down opponents. Can be easily tied up by blockers on the perimeter. Perhaps best suited to playing the nickel in the NFL.

--Dane Brugler/Rob Rang (9/5/14)

Player Overview

With opponents forced to try and keep up with the Ducks' high-octane offense, Oregon's defenders are often in position to make big plays - something that Ekpre-Olomu has proven quite adept at doing in earning consecutive First-Team All-Pac-12 honors the past three seasons, including All-America recognition as a senior in 2014.

Athletic, physical and instinctive, Ekpre-Olomu (full name is pronounced ee-fo eck-pray-olo-moo) is a turnover machine, registering 18 takeaways (nine interceptions, eight forced fumbles and one fumble recovery) in his career. However, his draft projection remains in limbo after suffering a severe right knee injury in practice prior to the Rose Bowl.

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS: Competitive and alert with the tracking skills to locate and attack. Possesses broad shoulders and a well-built frame, overall and is sound in run-support, traits that could make him one of the country's best all-around cornerbacks. While undersized, does not shy away from throwing his body around in run defense. He has many of the requisite skills to survive in both press and off-man, displaying quick diagnose skills, twitchy reaction time and the athleticism to break on the ball. Ekpre-Olomu shows swivel hips, smooth footwork and explosive lower body skills to close in a hurry on the ball.

WEAKNESSES: He lacks prototype size and relies on vision, timing and hand-eye coordination rather than extraordinary speed or fluidity to shut down opponents. Doesn?t have ideal height or length to match up with physical targets at the next level. Will struggle to recover after false steps, lacking make-up speed. Can be easily tied up by blockers on the perimeter and lack of strength shows often. Perhaps best suited to playing the nickel in the NFL. Currently rehabbing from a knee injury that will keep him from working out prior to the NFL Draft and could keep him sidelined for NFL training camp.

Compares to: Brent Grimes, Miami Dolphins - Good things come in small packages, at least that's the case with cornerbacks like Grimes and Ekpre-Olomu who both lack ideal height and frame for the position, but they make up for their physical shortcomings with quick reflexes, natural instincts and ballskills.

02/21/2015 - Five takeaways from Saturday's DL/LB NFL Combine media session: 4. Oregon CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu...With 40 straight starts under his belt, few thought Ekpre Olomu would face durability questions during the draft process, but after a knee injury during December practice, everything changed for the former Ducks' defensive back. Nonetheless, Ekpre-Olomu is staying positive after surgery eight weeks ago. "I'm not really too worried how it will affect my draft stock," Ekpre-Olomu said on Saturday. "I'm more worried about once I get there, how I'm going to move on from there, and how I'm going to perform once I get onto the team."

Ekpre-Olomu said he feels great and the doctors tell him the knee is healing ahead of schedule. Although the reality is, he likely won't be ready for the start of the 2015 NFL season, which will put him at a disadvantage, missing rookie mini-camps, training camp and the pre-season. So how does he plan to compensate while on the sidelines? "I'm going to have to be determined to learn the playbook and make sure all those mental reps those guys are getting on the field, I have to make sure I'm getting a double amount because I'm not going to actually be on the field. You just have to work as hard as you can every day." - Dane Brugler, NFLDraftScout.com